Various features of vehicles and structures require sealing from the external and or internal atmosphere in order to prevent leakage, or to form a fire seal. In particular, vehicles such as airplanes may require sealing from the outside environment or between various sections of the aircraft. Numerous airplane joints at nacelles, pylons, access doors, panels, etc., require the use of seals to prevent elements from entering and exiting an area through the joints. Any gaps in the seals may affect performance of an aircraft and its components. Additionally, effective seals can act as fire seals and can also form a part of a fire wall.
Within an airplane, engine nacelles, auxiliary power units (APUs), and cargo doors have joints or openings that need to be sealed. Gaskets, such as a strip or ring of rubber can be used to seal these areas in some instances. In other instances, shaped material such as a bulb seal can be used to seal these areas. According to current practices, every seal is custom made for the particular application and seal configurations on all engine nacelle fire zone applications must be fire tested and be fire proof or fire resistant.
Providing custom seals for each use in an airplane or other vehicle or structure is costly and time-consuming. In addition, conducting fire tests of each of these custom seals is expensive and inefficient. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide improved seal designs that can improve efficiency, reduce costs, and effectively prevent leakage.